The proposed conference is under the sponsorship of the Gordon Research Conference and is scheduled for July 11-15 1988 at Tilton, New Hampshire. The subject of the conference is excitation-contraction coupling; the last conference on this subject was held in 1985. The timing of the current conference is particular appropriate in view of the recent convergence of biochemical and physiological approaches in the identification of dihydropiridine and ryanodine receptors and their role in e-c coupling. Themes to be developed are: channels in surface and T tubule membranes; relationship between nifedipine receptors, charge movement and Ca release; macromolecules and Ca release channels in triads and SR membranes; time course of Ca release and reuptake, Ca and pH signals; role of second messengers in e-c coupling; time course of calcium and regulatory proteins interaction, molecular structure, regulation and mechanisms of the Ca pump; comparative aspects of e-c coupling, including non- muscle cells. Two special aspects of this conference are 1) a round table discussion of e-c coupling parameters designed to bridge the gap between the mostly structural and physiological data of the last 30 years and the molecular data of the last 5 years; 2) an oral discussion of posters presented by a selected group of young investigators. The conference will be divided into sessions with scheduled speakers, poster sessions and free discussion time. The Gordon Conference's format is conducive to free and informal exchange of ideas and unpublished data and this is particularly valuable at present time in the e-c coupling field because recent progress has opened new avenues of investigation. These meetings have a highly successful history in bringing together active investigators from all over the world in a format which is designed to optimize discussion. No other conference bringing together a wide range of expertise in this area of research is planned in the near future.